Memeorandum

April 30, 2007

Obama In The News, But Not

The NY Times frontpages (above the fold!) a story that can be easily read as an Obama-basher or, for those so inclined, an Obama-booster, yet the blogosphere has scarcely registered a response, if Memeorandum and Technorati can be my guides. Weird.

Let me race through the Barack-bashing version of his spiritual development - he was raised by non-practicing Methodist/Baptist grandparents, a non-practicing Muslim father, and a cultural anthropologist mother who exposed the kids to a number of religions for the "the inspirational power of the common narratives and heroes."

However, as a community organizer in Chicago, Obama was inspired by a racist, inflammatory minister who preaches "black liberation theology" and warns his congregation "against 'middleclassness', its term for selfish individualism". By the way, in context seems to mean white middleclassedness.

And Obama, who met Mr. Wright in the late 80's, took his message to heart:

Services at Trinity were a weekly master class in how to move an
audience. When Mr. Obama arrived at Harvard Law School later that year,
where he fortified himself with recordings of Mr. Wright’s sermons, he
was delivering stirring speeches as a student leader in the classic
oratorical style of the black church.

Whoa - if this were written about a Republican, the secular libs would be rending their garments or laughing out loud.

Whatever. Here is the careful separation of church and state:

As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama is reaching out to both
liberal skeptics and committed Christians. In many speeches or
discussions, he never mentions religion. When Mr. Obama, a former
constitutional law professor, does speak of faith, he tends to add a
footnote about keeping church and state separate.

But he also
talks of building a consensus among secular liberal and conservative
Christian voters. Mr. Wallis, the antipoverty advocate who calls
himself a “progressive evangelical,” first met Mr. Obama 10 years ago
when both participated in traveling seminars on American civic life. On
bus rides, Mr. Wallis and Mr. Obama would huddle, away from company
like George Stephanopoulos and Ralph Reed, to plot building a coalition of progressive and religious voters.

“The
problems of poverty and racism, the uninsured and the unemployed, are
not simply technical problems in search of the perfect 10 point plan,”
Mr. Obama says in one of his standard campaign lines. “They are rooted
in both societal indifference and individual callousness — in the
imperfections of man.”

Ahh! If a Democratic politician has a view on abortion informed by his religion, that is out of bounds. But if his view on tax policy, welfare, health care, social services, or the environment is shaped by his religious values, its all good. I sort of see why lefties are ducking this article.

In any case, the Times advises us that the minister is prepared to be tossed under the bus:

Few of those at Mr. Wright’s tribute in March knew of the pressures
that Mr. Obama’s presidential run was placing on the relationship
between the pastor and his star congregant. Mr. Wright’s assertions of
widespread white racism and his scorching remarks about American
government have drawn criticism, and prompted the senator to cancel [Mr, Wright's] delivery of the invocation when he formally announced his candidacy in
February.

...

Mr. Wright, who has long prided himself on criticizing the
establishment, said he knew that he may not play well in Mr. Obama’s
audition for the ultimate establishment job.

“If Barack gets
past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me,”
Mr. Wright said with a shrug. “I said it to Barack personally, and he
said yeah, that might have to happen.”

How will Barack distance himself from his minister of twenty years? What should we expect, a Minister Souljah moment? Mr. Wright, you're wrong?

Quite a Times story, although no one seems to think so.

MORE: Some background on Obama's church and "middleclassedness" in this Freeper post.

Comments

When you have to run away from your past associations to remake yourself{take note David Brock} it means your old beliefs are in conflict with your new goals and aspirations. Wanting new power is a great way to rationalize all behavior and causes you to reject your basic roots and beliefs.
My faith is the cornerstone of my life. It is not something I could jettison in order to pursue ultimate power.

The day after New Year's 1996, operatives for Barack Obama filed into a barren hearing room of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

There they began the tedious process of challenging hundreds of signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Alice Palmer, the longtime progressive activist from the city's South Side. And they kept challenging petitions until every one of Obama's four Democratic primary rivals was forced off the ballot.

Fresh from his work as a civil rights lawyer and head of a voter registration project that expanded access to the ballot box, Obama launched his first campaign for the Illinois Senate saying he wanted to empower disenfranchised citizens.

But in that initial bid for political office, Obama quickly mastered the bare-knuckle arts of Chicago electoral politics. His overwhelming legal onslaught signaled his impatience to gain office, even if that meant elbowing aside an elder stateswoman like Palmer.

H&R:
That example of Obama's behavior alone would be reason enough for me to never vote for him. It reminds me of Al Gore and his minions rejecting absentee ballots from the military overseas in 2000 during the recount fiasco. When I look back at that nightmare I can't believe how many times they recounted those ballots and for that I will never vote for sore loser Gore. I actually liked Lieberman.

vnjaqvet:
Now Wright's teachings and beliefs are an embarassment to Obama and could cause him votes so he is willing to throw him under the bus. It's like Hillary's old mentor that taught her about wealth distribution. Someone should resurrect him during the campaign. His ideas are definitely not mainstream.

Imus was wrong and should have been fired, but rap music is Tom Maguire's fault; if 32 college kids are murdered Obama wants to talk about verbal violence; giving to charity once you think you're gonna run for president; dumping your minister in your run for president; start your career in politics by bare-knuckling another progressive out by challenging the signatures on their nominating petitions in court.

Obama is a serial cynicalizer.

Of course, none of this is really unique to Obama. And that's the point, there really isn't anything substantively unique about Obama. He's an ambitious politician.

Of course, you want to play cynical politics, you take this WaPo article and keep shoving it down the nutroots throats.....

Obama's speech at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs last week was pure John Kennedy, without a trace of John Mearsheimer. It had a deliberate New Frontier feel, including some Kennedy-era references ("we were Berliners") and even the Cold War-era notion that the United States is the "leader of the free world." No one speaks of the "free world" these days, and Obama's insistence that we not "cede our claim of leadership in world affairs" will sound like an anachronistic conceit to many Europeans, who even in the 1990s complained about the bullying "hyperpower." In Moscow and Beijing it will confirm suspicions about America's inherent hegemonism. But Obama believes the world yearns to follow us, if only we restore our worthiness to lead. Personally, I like it.

Not only does the article claim Obama to be an interventionist.........the author is...

Robert Kagan (born September 26, 1958) is an American neoconservative scholar and political commentator. He graduated from Yale University in 1980. He later earned a Masters from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a PhD from American University in Washington, DC. He is a co-founder of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and was one of the signers of the January 26, 1998, PNAC Letter sent to US President Bill Clinton. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Robert's brother Frederick and father Donald are also prominent American neoconservatives, and also affiliated with the PNAC.

Obama, who has worked as a lawyer and a legislator to improve living conditions for the poor, took campaign donations from Rezko even as Rezko's low-income housing empire was collapsing, leaving many African-American families in buildings riddled with problems -- including squalid living conditions, vacant apartments, lack of heat, squatters and drug dealers.

vnjagvet:Nor do I think that cynicism, ambition, or ruthlessness is a disqualifying quality in a candidate for presidential leadership in a time of war.

Nor do I, per se. But you have to be able to have a sense whether the person is authentic. Are they pandering? Are they operating on principles to which they will adhere after elected, when polls shift, when events overtake plans, when backers come to collect on their investment, etc...

O/T on Corzine:
The motorcade did not use emergency lights, as it had been just before the accident.

The governor’s motorcade moved with the flow of traffic on Interstate 295, at some points sustaining speeds up to 70 miles per hour several minutes at a time, according to the speedometer of a vehicle traveling alongside; posted limits were 55 and 65. Capt. Al Della Fave, a state police spokesman, said the commander of the executive protection unit, which provides security and drivers for the governor, told him on Monday that the troopers in the motorcade had been instructed to adhere to posted speed limits.

----
I hope he gets well soon. But I also hope his driver gets a speeding ticket, as a normal citizen might.

In an effort to ameliorate the effects of global warming, several groups are working on ventures to grow vast floating fields of plankton intended to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and carry it to the depths of the ocean.

“The problems of poverty and racism, the uninsured and the unemployed, are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect 10 point plan,” Mr. Obama says in one of his standard campaign lines. “They are rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness — in the imperfections of man.”

From the church website:

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements.

AND

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision

I LOVE Australia and in particular John Howard for his stance on the war and his support of the US.

But this doesn't sit well with me at all.

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - Australians, long regarded as a nation of beer drinkers rivaled only by the Germans, seem to be turning soft, or sober.

After 113 years, the country's biggest selling beer, Victoria Bitter, or VB, is to be produced in a mid-strength version to keep pace with the country's fast-changing beer tastes.

Now brewer Foster's has decided for the first time to produce the beer in a weaker yellow-label version with 3.5 percent strength, down from 5 percent, as Australians abandon it for scores of more upscale "boutique" or craft beers.

Well, Rick, I was about to mention Melanie's appearance in that Hill piece.

Even though...

Sloan told a California reporter earlier this month that while”there are a number of members of Congress with conflicts of interest … because of the amount of money involved, Feinstein’s conflict of interest is an order of magnitude greater than those conflicts

...ah crap, I can't get to the CREW site....so, this becomes...

BOLD PREDICTION: Feinstein's conflict of interest is not prominently displayed on the CREW homepage......

The "order of magnitude" comment actually obscures the real order of magnitude involved. The problem on this one is that the explanation of what actually occured would lead to MEGO in about 100 words. The short version is that the '96 Blum/Salibas investment in Perini was so far underwater by '99 that they were able (forced?) to take control in '00. With a little help from Dear Diane the situation was so "improved" by '05 that Blum was able to cash in. I don't think the $1.5B in Milcon contracts was the most important aspect at all. The real dough was in change orders on the Big Dig - if that manure pile was uncovered you'd find Kerry/Kennedy holding hands with Feinstein at the bottom.

Anyone can easily trace the investment aspect by reading the 8K/10K info on Perini. Well, anyone with a mania for minutiae.

Here is where I started. I forgot to list the 13-Ds, which provide the ownership info. This is an example of what I was talking about. I also used 'Saliba' when I should have used 'Tutor'. Ron Tutor was Blum's main partner in Perini.

3.17 Conflict of Interest. RCBA has previously advised Seller of its insistence that RCBA, PB, and seller avoid any and all possible conflict of interest issue arising out of PB's proposed investment in Seller and the relationship of a principal of RCBA to a United States Senator. There fore, it is a condition to Closing (a) that the Senate Ethics Committee and regular counsel for the Senator on such matters shall each have given an opinion concerning RCBA's involvement with Seller that, in the reason able judgment of RCBA, does not require the imposition of material restrictions on the business of Seller or upon the ability of the Senator to vote on matters of concern to her constituents, and (b) that RCBA be assured by the Executive Committee of Seller's Board of Directors that it will cause Seller not to bid for a project when and if advised of RCBA's view that such bid could create a significant risk of exposing Seller, RCBA, PB, and/or the Senator to a conflict of interest problem.

Lookee, ma, see how purdy and clean my hands are!

I also got a kick out of "Union Labor Life Insurance Company Separate Account P ("Account P")" being used as the source of funds. Jes' one big happy family - kinda like Ma Barker and her boys.

I’ll have a fuller report on Rudy Giuliani’s appearance at the Latino Coalition in Washington in a little bit, but I’ll first report that he was greatly overshadowed by the preceding speaker.

Maria Conchita Alonso is probably best known as an actress and a singer, but the Cuban-born entertainer grew up in Venezuela, and is a vociferous opponent of that country’s strongman ruler, Hugo Chavez.

She began by pointing out she deliberately wore red, and that the color and May Day were meant to be a celebration for workers, not for the Communist party. “We cannot let terrorists dictate our lives, so why acknowledge their claims and allow them to own a color red for a day? I wear red not in solidarity, but in protest of them!”

Then Alonso ripped into Castro and Chavez with a rare combination of ferocity and wit. She told of leaving Cuba as a child with her family to start a new life in Venzuela, with her mother hiding money, jewelry, and even the family dog on the way out of the country. As Latino Coalition President Robert de Posada noted, “She lost her first home country to communism, and she refuses to let it happen again.”

And of course, this sealed the deal...

Referring to the former President’s thumbs-up regarding the last “election,” she declared, “Jimmy Carter ... should stick to counting peanuts, not votes.”

If you click through and read, you'll notice in that last sentence I put in the ellipse to remove one thing with which I would disagree. But I'm letting it slide because the counting peanuts quip blinds me to any faults she may possess.

Clarice...I trust you've seen the insty link about the court decision on the Democrat's invasion of privacy- illegal phone tapping (you know the party so concerned with privacy and legalities)....anyways from the link

The line-up of today's decision is quite interesting. The court effectively split 4-1-4. Judge Randolph wrote the majority opinion, holding that McDermott's disclosure of the tape was not protected by the First Amendment and violated House Ethics rules. He was joined by Chief Judge Ginsburg and Judges Henderson and Brown. Judge Sentelle wrote the dissent, arguing that McDermott's disclosure of the tape was fully protected by the First Amendment. His dissent was joined in full by Judges Garland, Rogers, and Tatel. Judge Griffith split the difference, joining the first part of Sentelle's dissent, but ultimately joining the majority. As Griffith explained:

The Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Thursday, released yet another press statement which read in part:

In his letter to the Senate, Tuesday, on the alleged use of PTDF funds in TIB to advance the political interest of Vice President Atiku Abubakar, President Obasanjo claimed to have been alerted by U.S. Congressman William Jefferson.

The letter also claimed that the deposit was accessed by Otunba Oyewole Fasawe who used it in the pursuit of his business interests.The Atiku Abubakar Campaign will like to state that the President’s account regarding the sequence of events in this matter is typically, false. The facts of the matter are these:

Otunba Oyewole Fasawe was invited by a senior official of his bank, Trans International Bank, TIB to meet certain investors at the 2003 Sullivan Economic Summit in Abuja who were seeking a Nigerian collaborator to bring a new American communication technology to Nigeria.

Otunba Fasawe was, thereafter, introduced to US Congressman, William Jefferson who promised to facilitate the introduction of the American telecommunication technology to Nigeria. On the strength of assurances by the Congressman who was Chairman of the American house sub_committee on Nigeria, Fasawe applied for a loan facility from TIB, whose official alerted him of the investment opportunity.

Otunba Fasawe, thereafter, transferred $6.7 million to iGate, the company introduced by Congressman Jefferson by January 2003. After waiting endlessly and Jefferson was not forthcoming with the equipment as promised, Otunba Fasawe sought the help of his friend, President Obasanjo to use his contact with the American government to get Jefferson to return his money.This is in addition to the persistent pressure on Jefferson and officials of iGate.

Jefferson’s letter dated 9th June 2004 was written six months after Fasawe had persistently put him (Jefferson) under tremendous pressure to refund his money or face legal action.

This also puts to question the claim that the President’s inquisition was prompted by the Congressman’s complaint and that the letter was the first time he knew about the matter.

The truth is that Jefferson’s letter was prompted by the petition of Otunba Fasawe to President Obasanjo and President Bush of America.

Jefferson could not validly complain of the source of the NDTV funds after keeping the money for six months. The letter from Jefferson was, therefore, a blackmail to escape the imminent legal action by Fasawe who had become restless over his (now apparently) bad investment.

It is noteworthy that President Obasanjo received the letter from Jefferson in June 2004 but did not deem it fit to cause EFCC to investigate the allegations until after the defeat of the third term agenda in May 2006, more than two years after.

It is also important to note that Congressman Jefferson whose integrity President Obasanjo believes to the point of engendering a national crisis has the following profile:

He (Jefferson) is under investigation in the U.S. for collecting bribes to discharge his official responsibilities.

Jefferson, who collected $6.5 million from Otunba Fasawe to promote the new American telecommunication technology in Nigeria took Lori Mody, promoter of iGate to Vice President Abubakar, to upstage Otunba Fasawe from the business. If Atiku was part of the NDTV plot, will Jefferson be so stupid to solicit his help to upstage his own (Atiku’s) company?

Jefferson collected $100,000 from Lori Mody and told her that he had passed same to Vice President Abubakar but the money was later found wrapped in a foil paper and hidden in his freezer.

It is curious that Mr. President who is privy to these facts will attach any weight to the claims of Jefferson and desecrate the National Assembly by sending the blackmail paper to it.

Otunba Fasawe, thereafter, transferred $6.7 million to iGate, the company introduced by Congressman Jefferson by January 2003. After waiting endlessly and Jefferson was not forthcoming with the equipment as promised, Otunba Fasawe sought the help of his friend, President Obasanjo to use his contact with the American government to get Jefferson to return his money.This is in addition to the persistent pressure on Jefferson and officials of iGate.

Jefferson’s letter dated 9th June 2004 was written six months after Fasawe had persistently put him (Jefferson) under tremendous pressure to refund his money or face legal action.

This also puts to question the claim that the President’s inquisition was prompted by the Congressman’s complaint and that the letter was the first time he knew about the matter.

The truth is that Jefferson’s letter was prompted by the petition of Otunba Fasawe to President Obasanjo and President Bush of America.

Sounds like Jefferson was defrauding everyone - Mody, Nigeria and Vernon Jackson of Igate - there was a report that said that Jefferson was planning on pushing Vernon out as head of IGate...what a crumbball.

It just shows the difference between a Democratic Representative and a Democratic Senator. If Reid or Feinstein or Obama or Kennedy or Kerry had given Cold Cash a hand, the theft would have been much harder to detect.

The Democratic Senate Leadership Conference should offer graft lessons for Democratic Representatives so that this sort of exposure of petty grifting doesn't sully the party's reputation for reasonably quiet extraction.

There are (well, were) 15 or so Republican Reps that could have used similiar help on the Abramoff deal. There don't seem to be many Republican grifters left to teach.

I haven't got it in me to read all that stuff. I'm interested because I know Perini, sort of. I used to be quite involved in a charity that he is very involved with. And I know a lot of people who know him very very very well. So I was wondering if I could capitalize on any of that to get some inside info.

Why not, to use the Senator's words, "the imperfections of man?" This approach could save us from the pesky time space problems we encounter in trying to inculpate the 43rd President for the first World War, the Crusades, and, not least, the film Citizen Kane.

You will note, however, that I am not prepared to absolve George W. Bush of responsibility for your inability to obtain a certain alcoholic product from your local retailer. Though I would not swear it under penalty of perjury, I believe that Molson Canadian is not sold in the United States. If such a state of affairs does not demand a Special Counsel, I am not sure what does.

We used to drink Molson Canadian in Colorado all the time...but this was the first time I've looked for it here. Maybe it was a precursor to the Molson Coors merger? Or maybe the inability to get it in the states is a result of the merger? I have no idea.

I didn't see anything that reflects upon the Perini family in what I've read. Construction companies tend to become sclerotic over time and it really looks as if the family recognized that value wasn't being added (or maintained) and unloaded at a reasonably propitious time.

The stock was trading in the $7-8 range when Blum/Tutor bought in '96 and had tanked to less than $3 by mid '00 when the conversion option was exercised. It was trading at $14-16 when Blum got out in '05 and it has gone as high as $43 recently.

Blum is just fortunate to have had his wife's help in bailing him out of what was (at the time in '00) a bad investment. Even then, the overall rate of return from '96-'05 was pretty pathetic.

I wasn't thinking of bad stuff about the Perini's, but they sure would have the inside dope on Feinstien's help. Loose lips and all that. I no longer live in that area and it would take some reconnoitering to get at that gossip, but the next time I have a chance it might be fun.

What none of our PC liberals will admit, is that this is the NYT's second "hit piece" on Obama's religion.

They're doing it, because they are carrying Hillary Clinton's water for her!

They've attacked Romney for being a Mormon, they've attacked Obama's religious background, and they'll do others; the whole message is that Bill & Hillary's religion is good, everyone else's is bad!

You see, the type of religion, that allows you to get orally serviced by an Intern, then get ministered to by a corrupt, extortionist "minister", who does so, while his pregnant girlfriend is by his side, is "good" religion; but everybody else's, especially President Bush's, or anyone running against Hillary, is BAD!

Don't take my comments above, as an endorsement of Obama.

He's a cogential liar, just like Hillary.

Even though it was a hit piece by the NYT, they dramatically underplayed his Islamic past.

Obama, at the very least, is a Muslim practicing TAQIYYAH!

How come no one has brought up the fact, that under Islamic law, Obama is recognized the world around, as a Muslim because his father was a Muslim.

If he suddenly found "Jesus", as he claims, he is, technically, in the eyes of all Muslims, and APOSTATE, and deserving of immediate Death!

Why don't we hear Radical Muslim pointing that out, and leading the charge?

Very curious!

Even IF he's a serious convert to Christianity, the brand of Afro-centric, Racist Christianity that he has choosen, in the mold of radical Afro-centric racists like Ivan van Sertima, Chacellor Williams and Cornel West, is not something that we want to see in the Oval Office, trust me!

BOSTON, MA APRIL 26, 2007 -- Jeff Beatty will officially announce the creation of a Senatorial Campaign Exploratory Committee to defeat John Kerry, Thursday evening, April 26, 2007 at the Best Western Hotel, Bourne Rotary, in Bourne, Massachusetts at 6:45pm.

Beatty is a former Army Delta Force Officer and was in the first Black Hawk shot down, earning a Purple Heart while helping to rescue hundreds of Americans in Grenada. He was also a Special Agent advising the FBI National Hostage Rescue Team, and a former CIA Counter-Terrorism Officer with service in Europe and the Middle East.

Beatty currently serves our state, and country, in the private sector as founder and president of TotalSecurity.US. He predicted the Atlanta Olympic Bomb three months in advance on the TODAY program and has provided anti-terrorist training and support to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Boston Public Schools, Mass Highway, Mass Turnpike, the Pentagon, Statue of Liberty, The Super Bowl, The Rose Bowl, the Olympics and numerous other organizations nationwide.

In 2006, Beatty entered the political world and ran for Congress against 5-term incumbent, Bill Delahunt, and received more votes than any other Massachusetts challenger. Beatty exceeded expectations and showed himself to be a formidable political force.

With Polls showing support for Kerry at an all time low, please join us Thursday night in Bourne and meet the challenger who wants to be our next Senator, offering the citizens of Massachusetts the change they seek and the representation they deserve.

For more information on the Beatty Exploratory Committee, please contact Bob Parks

I've never heard of him but I suspect H&R has it right (as usual) or (for a change) since Delahunt is a dem. I'd say that since all of MA is "generally Democratic territory" that's old news. What is significant about those districts is that they are for the most part wealthy. The buzz is that Kerry is ripe for being thrown off the bus - but I wouldn't underestimate the lengths he will go to, to make sure that doesn't happen. And he learned that stuff from the master (Kennedy).

I've never heard of him but I suspect H&R has it right (as usual) or (for a change) since Delahunt is a dem. I'd say that since all of MA is "generally Democratic territory" that's old news. What is significant about those districts is that they are for the most part wealthy. The buzz is that Kerry is ripe for being thrown off the bus - but I wouldn't underestimate the http://www.batteryfast.com/toshiba/satellite-m100.htm>toshiba satellite m100 battery lengths he will go to, to make sure that doesn't happen. And he learned that stuff from the master (Kennedy)